Redwoods, Flowers, and Slugs: A Rich Nature Hike at Purisima Creek Open Space Preserve

Banana Slugs

 

 

Date: May 13, 2021

Place: Purisima Creek Open Space Preserve, Redwood City, California

Coordinates: 37.4297868, -122.312580

Length: 10.7 miles

Level: Strenuous

 

Purisima Creek Open Space Preserve has been on my 'wanna go there' list for some time.Somehow I always ended up going somewhere else. Last spring when I was training for my Mount Shasta expedition, I decided that it would be a great opportunity to check out that preserve. I invited my friend to come along and she was happy to join me.

Our hike as captured by my GPS

We started at the south parking area. The trail was level at first but that didn't last long. After a short distance we started descending.

Right from the beginning we were in the deep shade of the forest, The forest canopy wasn't too tight though, so the undergrowth too was thick and lush.

Horsetail

The forest in Purisima Open Space Preserve is mostly redwood, and all of them are younger than 200 years. All of the old growth redwoods have been logged during the big development boom of California during and after the gold rush years. The sad stumps of the old trees are seen all over along the trail. The young trees that surround them are often their genetic clones - grown from base shoots of the old tree after it has been felled.

We were seeing flowers along the trail almost immediately. I was especially excited to see irises, and there were many, many of them, in small clumps in the undergrowth. I chose to post this particular photo because when looking inside the flower I saw a crab spider ambushing the little bugs that come to pollinate or seek refuge inside the iris. (Enlarge the photo to see them).

Douglas Iris, Iris douglasiana

Spiders are of my favorite little critters. I am intrigued by their delicate webs that are like works of art. It can be challenging to capture those webs in a photo, especially with the spider, but I try my best. 

The trail steepened and we were descending quickly. I thought about having to climb all of that on the way back but this time that thought delighted me - it would be a good training hike. 

I was also very delighted to see wood rose bushes in bloom. I much prefer their delicate flowers over those of the cultivated roses. 

Wood Rose, Rosa gymnocarpa

We sped downward with the pull of gravity. The trail, which was practically a dirt road, didn't curve much. We were going straight to the creek. 

Blue Witch, Solanum umbelliferum

There was one big switchback near the bottom. The forest grew thicker there, and the redwoods were taller. There were fewer shrubs on the forest floor but mats of redwood sorrel covered the humus layer. 

Redwood Sorrel, Oxalis oregana

The earth was considerably moister down the valley. I was very excited to see a banana slug slithering on the forest floor. I photographed of of course. And also the next one I saw. And the next. I thought it would be fun t count how many banana slugs I'd see on this hike but after the first 20 I feared I'd lose count so I jst made sure to photograph each slug I saw. 

Banana Slug

When we reached the valley floor we connected with the creek trail, which was paved. It was and easy walk on it, with very little elevation change and many banana slugs. 

Purisima Creek Trail

The creek itself was flowing. The water level wasn't very high, but it was nice to walk along running water. 

Purisima Creek

A rustle in the vegetation off trail caught my attention - there was a sole deer and it was moving away from us. It paused briefly to loo back at us, then continued walking away until it got out of sight. 

Mule Deer

We slowed our pace a little, enjoying the creek trail and the multitude of banana slugs along it. There were also different wildflowers blooming at the shaded valley floor. 

Stream Violet, Viola glabella 

The numbers of banana slugs we've seen that day was staggering. I gave up on counting them fairy early on, but I still insisted on photographing each and every slug I saw. We saw a few of these slugs busy interacting with one another. On of these couples is at the top of this blogpost. 

Feathery False Lily of the Valley, Maianthemum racemosum 

We came upon large patches of blooming vicia. This is an invasive plant that established itself well in California. I don't normally post invasive plants in my blog but sometimes I do succumb to their beauty. 

Smooth Vetch, Vicia villosa, non-native, invasive 

The forest thinned out a bit and the canopy opened up for some welcomed sunlight. I love the light and shadow play of the leaves on the forest ground. There wasn't much sun that day but it did break through the fog occasionally. 

I noticed fairybells blooming. I often miss these, they are little and hanging below the foliage. It's easier to see the ripe berries when in season - they are bright red.  

Largeflower Fairybells, Prosarthes smithii 

We reached the trail junction where were were to go back uphill. There was a paved road there leading out to another access point to Purissima Creek Open Space Preserve. There were also more hikers at that area. 

We took a break near the creek, munching on our snacks and resting a bit by the running water before starting uphill. 

Purisima Creek

The trail started uphill with a relatively mild slope. I still saw banana slugs here and there, but it wasn't long before I photographed the last one for that hike.  

The trail uphill turned out to be the richest in wildflowers, in both numbers and species diversity. It was because this trail passed through a number of different habitats. 

Thimbleberry, Rubus parviflorus

While much of the trail was still under the forest canopy, it was going also through large exposed areas that were not shaded by trees. I'd say they would be exposed to direct sun but the day we were there the sun was obscured by thick fog. 

Hedgenettle, Stachys sp.

As expected, the way uphill was at a slower pace. It was also the longest lag of the hike and the one with the most wildflowers, so the slow pace wasn't all because of the uphill effort. There was a lot to look at and appreciate. 

Red Elderberry, Sambucus racemosa 

A bit higher upslope I picked up the sweet fragrance of the ceanothus, and I looked around. Sure enough, there was this big bush in full bloom. There were many more of these honey-smelling bushes along the trail and I inhaled their aroma deeply. 

Blueblosson, Ceanothus thyrsiflorus 

I was glad for the uphill effort because it was cold on the exposed segments of the trail. The sun was hiding well and the fog covered the forest like a thick blanket. 

Fog in the Redwoods

Another non-native species that when ignoring how invasive it really is I can appreciate its beauty (and also enjoy its tasty leaves and stems once the thorns are removed) is the milk thistle.  I didn't forage for any on this hike and in fact, I was glad to not see too many of them along the trail, as pretty as they are. 

Milk Thistle, Silybum marianum, non-native, invasive 

I did see a native species of nightshade though, which is very exciting (in hindsight, because I didn't recognize it in real time), because most nightshade plants I see on my hikes are of the invasive species. 

Douglas' Nightshade, Solanum douglasii

The hike kept us warm enough through the foggy chill. We didn't stop for any breaks anymore. Both my friend and I needed to be back on time to pick up our offspring from their schools. We did have a short hydration pause near one large madrone tree. The tree was in full bloom, which was very pretty indeed. Being too close to the tree I couldn't capture its entire glory, so I settled for a close-up on its blueberry-like flowers.  

Madrone, Arbutus menziesii 

The steepest part of the uphill trail was at the bottom. Once we were out of the main redwoods area the slope was milder and our pace faster. The entire area was shrouded by thick fog that obscured any distant view. I had no idea what the next hill looked like. In fact, I wouldn't know that there was a hill there at all, had I not have the topo map of the preserve. I actually like hiking in the fog every now and then. It adds a mystical value to the mist. 

Besides, the fog's gray makes a great background to the colorful wildflowers, especially to crimson columbine blossom. 

Crimson Columbine, Aquilegia formosa

We came upon a large patch of bee plants. They weren't blooming (and even if they did. I am usually unsuccessful in getting any decent photo of them). These plants however, were infested with hairy caterpillars of a species I'm not familiar with. It was fascinating to see, but also sad. I love bee plants and the devastation caused by the caterpillars was considerable. 

Soon we got into the trees again. When we stepped into a clearing once more, the sun was out. It was already past midday and the morning fog was beginning to burn, leaving behind heavy dew cover on the vegetation. I loved the sparkly lace of the lichen 'beards' hanging from the trees. 

All of a sudden we could see the view across the valley and down below us. Not all the way to the ocean, though. 

I was thrilled to see yellow lupine up the slope. I don't see these all that frequently. Now that the sun was finally shining, the lupine flowers were gleaming and seemed even more festive. 

Coastal Bush Lupine, Lupinus arboreus 

It didn't take long for the fog to disappear. I thing it was gone in about half an hour. One gone, the air warmed up and we started breaking sweat. We were getting close to he road now too. 

We didn't get to see the ocean from our trail but we did see plenty of oceanspray bushes on the way up. They were all blooming, justifying their name with their white, foam-like inflorescence. 

Oceanspray, Holodiscus discolor 

When we got under the trees again we welcomed the shade. It was a relief from the sun, which was blazing mercilessly now. We were getting close to the road but we still had some way to go and the day was getting hotter. 

The trail system at Purisima Open Space Preserve didn't have a loop of a length I desired so i chose to close the hike's loop on the road. There would be two miles of asphalt and vehicle traffic to deal with once we reached the preserve border. 

Blue Dicks, Dichelostemma capitatum

When we did get to the road we stopped for a drink of water. We didn't have time for a longer break - both me and my friend needed to get back home on time to pick up our kids.  That doesn't mean I didn't pause to look at interesting sights and to take photos. Like these fungi growing out of a cut log. 

A small patch of wild strawberry also slowed us down a bit, as we picked a few and munched on them. It was a refreshing little snack. 

Wild Strawberry, Fragaria vesca

Wild strawberries are small and their flavor isn't very strong. I prefer to forage for thimbleberries, but these were not in fruit season yet. 

California Blackberry, Rubus ursinus

Skyline Boulevard, the road bordering the upper part of Purisima Open Space Preserve, has no shoulders around that area, so we had to walk right on the road itself. There wasn't much traffic at the time, which I was glad about. The cars that did come however, were moving very fast. I bet that they were all speeding well above the speed limit there.  We had to dart into the vegetation more than once in order to escape a fast car zooming around the curve. 

One of the noticeable side plants was the gorgeous Echium - a decorative plant that was originally introduced into gardens but snce had escaped and established itself in the wild as an invasive species. 

Pride of Madeira, Echium candicans, non-native, invasive 

The last couple of miles on Skyline Blvd we walked very fast, hardly stopping for anything. I did pause once however, to look at violets by the side of the road. When fe finally got to our cars we were completely out of time, so we said goodbye and drove away.

Western Heart's Ease, Viola ocellata

I was happy to have finally hiked Purisima Open Space Preserve. It's a beautiful trail with much to see. It was also another great training step for my June Mount Shasta expedition. The following weekend I went on the first of my two pre-Shasta backpacking trips: the Ohlone Wilderness Trail.  

At home I counted all the photos. That hike I saw a record of 97 banana slugs, the highest number of them I've ever seen on one singke hike.